Modern dating feels like walking through a minefield of behaviors ready to blow up your chances at a real relationship. Ghosting and breadcrumbing are old news, but now there’s a whole new level of toxic dating trends creeping in. This is the stuff that’s way sneakier and way more damaging than you might expect.

If you’re tired of the endless parade of manipulation in dating and the exhausting dating behaviors to avoid, you’re not alone. If I ever find myself single again, I’m seriously considering staying that way. Modern dating right now is a straight-up dumpster fire. 🔥

💡Key Highlights

• How toxic dating trends are evolving in 2025
• Subtle forms of manipulation hiding in plain sight
• Why modern dating fuels emotional burnout
• The dating behaviors you absolutely need to avoid
• Ways to spot red flags before you get too invested

Modern Dating: Why I’d Rather Hang Out With Imaginary Cats Than Play These Games

There are a lot of creeps, incels, and bitter men out there that I wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole. I know I’m not alone, especially for my age group (Gen X) as there is an alarming decline in dating among women of all ages.

So, if you’re still out there chasing that shiny “silver cup” in the modern dating arena, I salute you. You’re clearly tougher than I am, and let’s be honest – your pain threshold must be off the charts. 😆

These toxic dating trends have a way of slipping right past your radar. One minute, you think you’ve met a decent human. The next, you’re questioning your sanity while they breadcrumb you into oblivion. This stuff doesn’t just waste your time; it chips away at your emotional well-being until you’re too exhausted to care.

Personally the idea of pouring all that energy into getting to know someone, only to end up shackled to a toxic relationship with some walking red flag of a man.

No thanks. I don’t even own any cats, but if I did, I’d probably be perfectly content chilling with them instead of trying to decode the endless game-playing that passes for romance in modern dating.

Toxic Dating Trends That Range From Shallow to Dangerous

Let’s break down some of the most insidious trends in modern dating that you need to avoid.

🚩1. Situationship Recycling

Plenty of people are slipping right back into their old situationships; those murky, commitment-free setups that look like relationships but never actually are. Thanks to the rise of “convenience” as one of the biggest toxic dating trends of 2025, it’s become way too common to recycle your ex just because it feels familiar. In reality, all you’re doing is signing up for more emotional burnout and confusion. Modern dating already feels like a maze – no need to keep rerunning the same dead-end path.

🚩2. Eco-Ghosting

Ghosting’s been a staple in the lineup of toxic dating trends for years, but 2025 gave it a rebrand: eco-ghosting. That’s when someone peaces out of a relationship claiming they’re just “too busy” saving the planet or focusing on some world-changing cause.

Sounds noble, right? Except it’s usually just a slick excuse to disappear while still looking like the morally superior one. Meanwhile, you’re left wondering what just happened: blindsided, hurt, and somehow feeling guilty for not composting more. Welcome to modern dating.

🚩3. Breadcrumb Binging

Breadcrumbing is still alive and thriving, like some cockroach of toxic dating trends you just can’t squash. These days, everyone’s “so busy” with their careers or working on themselves that they toss you a crumb here and there – just enough attention to keep you circling their orbit. No real commitment, no clear intentions. Just classic emotional manipulation wrapped up in modern dating buzzwords.

🚩4. AI-Curated Romance

Because modern dating clearly wasn’t weird enough, now we’ve got AI flirting for people. Some folks are actually outsourcing their opening lines and charm to chatbots and virtual dating assistants. Sure, it saves time, but guess what? You’re not dating a clever algorithm – you’re dating a real human. So when the smoke and mirrors disappear IRL, and your date can’t hold a convo without their AI sidekick, things get awkward fast. Welcome to the most impersonal era of toxic dating trends yet.

🚩5. Cuffing Season 2.0

Let’s talk about cuffing season, a classic move in modern dating where people scramble to lock down a temporary relationship just to have someone around when it’s cold or life gets rough. The pandemic cranked this habit up to a whole new level, and still going strong. Now, cuffing isn’t just a winter fling; it’s a year-round toxic dating trend where folks leap into shallow, short-lived situationships purely to dodge loneliness. No depth, no real connection, just a warm body to fill the gap until something “better” comes along.

🚩6. Faux Polyamory

Open relationships and polyamory have definitely become more visible in modern dating, which is fine, I guess, if you’re actually into that. But here’s the problem: some people slap the “polyamorous” label on themselves just to dodge commitment altogether. They’ll act like wanting multiple partners makes them enlightened or evolved, but it’s often just another form of manipulation in dating. Instead of honesty and connection, they use polyamory as a convenient shield for emotional distance, inconsistency, and stringing along anyone who actually wants something real.

🚩7. Emotional Drainage Dating

Instead of actually trying to build a meaningful connection, plenty of people are now using dating apps as their personal therapy sessions. You fire up a chat, and suddenly you’re knee-deep in someone’s unresolved trauma before you even know their last name. This little gem of modern dating isn’t about bonding – it’s just another toxic dating trend that leaves you feeling emotionally exhausted instead of remotely connected.

🚩8. Ghosting with a Twist (Slow Fade)

The slow fade is ghosting’s sneakier, passive-aggressive cousin. Instead of cutting things off like an adult, people just slowly back away: fewer texts, less effort, more vague excuses until you’re left staring at your phone wondering what you did wrong. It’s a classic case of manipulation in dating, disguised as “being busy” or “needing space.” But let’s be clear: it’s one of the most frustrating dating trends out there and definitely someone to avoid if you’re actually trying to build something real in this mess we call modern dating.

🚩9. Location Flexing

“Location flexing” is the shiny new way to brag in the world of toxic dating trends. Instead of actually showing up as a decent human, people plan dates in exotic spots or the latest Instagrammable rooftop, all to make their modern dating life look glamorous. Sure, it sounds exciting on paper, but it’s usually nothing more than manipulation in dating, and just a flashy ploy for attention and social media clout.

🚩10. Exploitation of Vulnerability (Love Scams)

As more people talk openly about mental health, a darker side has crept into modern dating: weaponized vulnerability. These days, scammers and opportunists love to swoop in when someone’s struggling, using a sob story to reel you in. They’ll act like they just need understanding, but it’s really manipulation at its worst. Sympathy becomes a tool to drain you emotionally or even financially.

If you need proof that toxic dating trends keep evolving into something more twisted, here it is. All this noise prioritizes self-interest and fake connection over anything real.

🚩11. Monkey Branching

Monkey branching is exactly what it sounds like – someone clinging to their current relationship while they line up their next romantic conquest. Just like a monkey doesn’t let go of one branch before grabbing another, these types keep a backup partner ready to go as a safety net.

This dating trend has gotten even more rampant, thanks to the endless swiping on modern dating apps. It’s easier than ever to collect new prospects before you’ve even bothered to end things properly. The fallout is a mess of trust issues, zero closure, and yet another example of toxic dating that everyone should see as a giant red flag.

🚩12. Paperclipping

Remember Clippy, the annoying Microsoft Word helper? Well, meet paperclipping—when an ex or old fling suddenly pops back into your life out of nowhere, just to keep you hooked… but with zero intention of actually getting back together.

It’s classic toxic dating move: they “clip” you back into their orbit with a random text, a like on your latest post, or a sudden message after months of silence. With digital lines getting blurrier than ever, paperclipping is becoming one of the most annoying dating trends out there. It leaves people stuck in emotional limbo, juggling false hope and confusion when all they really want is to move on for good.

🚩13. Micro-level Deceit

You already know what infidelity is, but let’s talk about micro-level lying. This isn’t about outright hooking up with someone else; it’s all the little things that quietly wreck trust. Think constant flirting, liking thirst traps on social media, or keeping low-key conversations going with backup options.

It’s one of those toxic trends that’s easy to brush off with “I’m just being friendly” or “You’re overreacting,” or some other gaslighting type of BS meant to keep you confused, but it’s still manipulation in dating. Over time, these so-called harmless behaviors chip away at trust and leave you questioning whether your relationship is even real. If you’re trying to build actual emotional safety, this is 100% a dating trap to avoid.

🚩14. Submarine-ing

Picture this: you haven’t heard a word from someone you were dating for weeks, maybe months – total ghost mode. Just when you start moving on, they pop back up like nothing happened, no explanation, no apology.

That’s submarine-ing, one of the sneakiest toxic trends in dating out there that people often overlook. It’s not just confusing – it’s straight-up emotionally destabilizing. This move keeps you hanging, stuck between letting go and hoping for something that probably isn’t coming. It’s classic manipulation by stealing your closure and leaving you trapped in emotional limbo.

🚩15. Prowling

Nobody talks about prowling, but it’s easily one of the sneakiest toxic trends lurking in modern dating. This is when someone hovers just close enough to stay on your radar by watching your stories, liking posts, maybe throwing in the occasional fire emoji, but never actually stepping up.

It’s manipulation dressed up as casual interest. Prowlers put in the bare minimum effort to keep you engaged, soaking up your attention while giving nothing real in return. The worst part is, you’re left second-guessing everything, thinking maybe they do care. It’s just another dating trend to avoid if you’re trying to protect your time and energy. Block. Them.

🚩16. Cushioning

Cushioning has to be one of the most underhanded toxic dating trends out there. Basically, someone in a committed relationship keeps a few “backups” hanging around, people they flirt with or stay friendly with, just in case their main relationship tanks. It’s like having an emotional safety net ready to go, and yeah, the damage it does is very real.

This kind of manipulation in dating creates distance and distrust in the primary relationship while the so-called “cushions” end up unknowingly wrapped up in the betrayal. It’s a giant red flag for insecurity and emotional immaturity. In the long run, cushioning wrecks trust – not just with your partner but also for everyone who gets pulled into the game. Definitely a dating trend to steer clear of if you value anything resembling honesty.

🚩17. Love Bombing, Then Ghosting

Love bombing isn’t exactly breaking news, but the modern dating version comes with an even nastier twist: the instant disappearing act. First, they drown you in over-the-top affection, attention, and gifts until you feel like you’ve finally found the one. But the second they think you’re hooked, poof! They vanish without a word.

This whiplash of extreme closeness followed by sudden silence is more than just bad manners: it’s emotional abuse. It’s one of the most brutal and nasty dating trends because it leaves you questioning your own reality. You start obsessing over what you did wrong or whether any of it was ever real. Thanks to the instant gratification baked into modern dating apps, this manipulation has only gotten more intense. Consider it a giant neon sign of what to avoid.

🚩18. Revenge Swiping

Apparently, the new breakup cure is revenge swiping. Instead of taking time to heal or process what went wrong, people dive straight back into dating apps, swiping right on anyone and everyone just to boost their ego or get under their ex’s skin.

Not only is this one of dating’s most toxic trends for the swiper, but it also drags everyone else into a cycle of shallow, meaningless matches. Revenge swiping is pure avoidance: nothing real, just a lot of wasted time, frustration, and false hope.

🚩19. Soft Launching a Relationship

Soft launching might seem harmless, but don’t let that fool you; it can really mess with your head. This is when someone casually drops hints about their new partner on social media without ever fully owning the relationship.

You get a hand here, a foot there… just enough to stir curiosity but not enough to actually say, “Hey, this is my person.” For the one being soft launched, it’s emotional manipulation in dating 101. They’re in the picture but never really in the relationship, stuck in this awkward limbo that keeps things from moving forward with any real clarity.

🚩20. Sober Fishing

Sober fishing is exactly as shady as it sounds. It’s when someone pretends to live a squeaky-clean, sober lifestyle just to reel in a partner who genuinely values health and wellness. As wellness culture exploded, this toxic trend started creeping into modern dating, and it’s as disingenuous as it gets.

Once the person feels secure, surprise! Their real habits show up: binge drinking, drug use, whatever they were hiding. It’s pure manipulation, and it leaves the person who thought they’d found a like-minded partner feeling completely betrayed.

🚩21. Consent Baiting

This one is especially dangerous because it slips under the radar so easily. Consent baiting happens when someone pretends to respect your boundaries at first: saying stuff like, “It’s okay, we’ll take it slow” only to flip the script later and guilt-trip or pressure you into crossing lines you’re not comfortable with.

It’s one of the most insidious dating trends because it creates an illusion of respect and safety before turning into outright manipulation. In a world where consent should be the baseline, this tactic completely undermines any sense of mutual respect. If you spot it, consider it a glaring red flag.

Final Thoughts On Dating Behavior to Avoid

Toxic trends in dating are evolving right along with the times and getting more subtle but just as damaging. Between modern dating apps, social media, and everyone hustling to keep up with their fast-paced lives, it’s never been easier to slip into these behaviors or end up on the receiving end of them.

Spotting toxic patterns early is your best shot at protecting yourself emotionally. This isn’t being paranoid, it’s knowing the behaviors to avoid when dating so you don’t waste time on manipulation disguised as connection.